US 11932230

US Patent 11932230, titled "Vehicle gear selection control," was issued to Bulletproof Property Management LLC. The inventor is Bennet Langlotz. The patent was filed on June 5, 2023, and granted on March 19, 2024.

Abstract:
The patent describes a motor vehicle designed for driver operation. It features a frame with wheels and a motor. A steering control is connected to the wheels to establish a steering angle. A controller is operably connected to the steering control, the motor, and the wheels. This controller can selectively drive the wheels in a forward direction (drive mode) or a rearward direction (reverse mode). Crucially, the controller is able to select a driving direction based on a pattern of steering angle movements, without requiring the operator to manually indicate a direction.

Independent Claims Overview:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim outlines a motor vehicle equipped with a system that automatically determines the vehicle's intended driving direction. The vehicle has a frame with wheels, a motor, and a steering control. A controller connects to these components and can drive the wheels forward or backward. The key aspect is that the controller selects the driving direction based on observed steering wheel movements, eliminating the need for the driver to explicitly choose a direction.

• Independent Claim 18: This claim details a motor vehicle with a controller that, after the vehicle has been operated in reverse, can propose an automatic shift into the drive gear to the driver. This "auto-shift" offer is generated based on at least one of several operational factors: the duration of travel since parking, the distance covered since parking, the vehicle's velocity since parking, the current steering angle, or the vehicle's geographical location.

Legal Proceedings:
As of April 26, 2026, US patent 11932230 is involved in ongoing legal proceedings. These include a PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) case, IPR2026-00227, which is currently pending. Another related PTAB proceeding, IPR2026-00229, also references "Langlotz-230," indicating further challenges to the patent. Additionally, there is a US district court case filed in the Texas Western District Court, case number 1:25-cv-00665, where Bulletproof Property Management LLC is suing Tesla, Inc. for alleged infringement of the '230 patent. Decisions from these PTAB and District Court cases can be appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC).